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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22435777">About Time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaffrin/pseuds/zaffrin'>zaffrin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A little angst, Fluff, Multi, Old Friends, Spoilers for s12e5, because she's sad af rn, it's tagged a pairing but it's not a shippy fic, just a bit of snogging, self indulgent fic, the doctor getting her hug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:07:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,756</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22435777</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaffrin/pseuds/zaffrin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Jack! Put me down!” She protests, but she’s smiling wide when he does set her back on her feet, her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling.<br/>He grabs her face in his hands and plants a loud, smacking kiss on her lips before pulling back, hands slipping to her shoulders, seemingly reluctant to let her go.<br/>“Look at you!” He exclaims, holding her at arms length as his eyes roam over her form, “you’re tiny! And gorgeous.”</p><p>The meeting between Thirteen and Jack we were robbed of during that ep, and she finally gets the hug she's needed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thirteenth Doctor/Jack Harkness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>891</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>About Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Doctor!”</p><p>Almost at her Tardis, the Doctor spins in surprise when she hears her name - her name called out in a distinctly <em> american </em> voice -</p><p>“Jack,” she breathes when she sees her old friend jogging towards them across the field. She k<em>new </em> those arton energy readings weren’t false. </p><p>A smile already pulling at the corners of her lips, she moves past her friends and strides over to meet him, outright grinning by the time they reach each other and he swoops in with his arms open to wrap her straight up in them and pick her up right off her feet, laughing giddily as he spins her around.</p><p>“Jack! Put me down!” She protests, but she’s smiling wide when he does set her back on her feet, her cheeks flushed and eyes sparkling.</p><p>He grabs her face in his hands and plants a loud, smacking kiss on her lips before pulling back, hands slipping to her shoulders, seemingly reluctant to let her go.</p><p>“Look at you!” He exclaims, holding her at arms length as his eyes roam over her form, “you’re tiny! And <em> gorgeous.” </em></p><p>The Doctor rolls her eyes with a huff, but she’s still smiling. “And you haven’t changed a bit,” she says fondly.</p><p>Pushing his luck, he leans down to kiss her again, and the Doctor tilts her head up, eyes fluttering closed as she presses her lips back against his, allowing herself the comfort of the embrace and moment of nostalgia, Jack’s form warm and familiar against her.  </p><p>They are interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing behind them and they break the kiss, the Doctor coming down off her tiptoes (that was <em> weird) </em> to clear her throat and step back a little as she glances round, gesturing to the others. </p><p>“I hear you already met my friends when you kidnapped them.”</p><p>“Please - scooped them up very politely, you’re always so dramatic.”</p><p>“Says<em> you </em>.”</p><p>“That’s fair,” he laughs. “Also - <em> three </em> of them? I’d say you must be compensating if you were still a man. Nice to see you all again,” he grins at her friends as the Doctor rolls her eyes, shaking her head fondly. </p><p>Yaz clears her throat, looking between them with a slight frown. “When the Doctor said you were an old friend, I didn’t realise she meant you were…” She raises her eyebrows and the Doctor blinks, tilting her head at Yaz. </p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You know - <em> involved.” </em></p><p>“Oh we’re not.” She says, catching on. “That’s just how Jack says hello.”</p><p>“Yeah I’ve already found that out,” Graham interjects and the Doctor looks at him in surprise before glancing back at Jack. </p><p>“Hey - honest mistake,” Jack grins, “Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it though.”</p><p>“What!?” Ryan is staring, eyes wide, and it’s been a while since the Doctor’s genuinely wanted to laugh.</p><p>“You snogged Graham!?” Yaz blurts out. </p><p>“Hey there’s plenty more where that came from if you’re feeling left out,” he flirts. </p><p>“Jack,” the Doctor warns.</p><p>“Yaz, wasn’t it? Pretty name. It suits you.”</p><p>“<em> Jack.” </em></p><p>“I’m just saying hello!”</p><p>“Yeah, think I’ll pass on your version of hello thanks,” Yaz says dryly and the Doctor finds herself grinning again. </p><p>“That’s you told,” she says to Jack, who has his hands up in good natured surrender. </p><p>“So Doctor,” he says, turning back to her, bright grin fading as he looks at her honestly. “I suppose we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”</p><p>“I suppose we have,” she admits. </p><p>Graham clears his throat. “We’ll give you two some space. Come on guys.”</p><p>“Not at all,” Jack says before the Doctor can open her mouth to agree, surprising her. “You’re the Doctor’s companions right?”</p><p>“Friends,” Yaz corrects. </p><p>“Then all of this concerns you too.” </p><p>Her friends all glance at each other in surprise and the Doctor feels a pang of guilt. She knows she’s been shutting them out, enough that they seem to have gotten used to it being the norm. She clears her throat, forcing a smile.</p><p>“Yeah, course it does.” She turns back to Jack. “Tell us about the lone cyberman.”</p><p>--</p><p>“So the Master’s back.”</p><p>“Yep,” the Doctor replies. They’re all sitting on the steps in the console room, her next to Jack and her friends on the steps below. “I don’t know where he is now. The Kasaavin can’t have held him there for long but… I <em> can’t </em> track him.” Her hands are balled into fists, nails digging into her palms, and she only realises when Jack reaches out and pries one open, looking up at him in surprise as he gives her a sympathetic look and squeezes her hand before releasing it. She places her hands flat on her thighs, palms sweating. </p><p>“Why is it so important that you find him anyway?” He asks. </p><p>“She said he gave her a message,” Yaz interjects.</p><p>“About what?”</p><p>“She won’t tell us.”</p><p>“Home,” the Doctor answers when Jack frowns at her. “It was about our home.”</p><p>She can see he wants to ask more, pry further, but is thankful when he keeps quiet, offering her a simple nod instead - perhaps the anxiety is more obvious on her face than she realises. </p><p>There’s a bit of a stiff pause before Jack breaks it cheerfully. </p><p>“Well!” He says, “Be sure and let me know when you <em> do </em> manage to get hold of him. I have a few choice words I wouldn’t mind sharing.”</p><p>She forces a smile for the sake of her friends. </p><p>“Also,” Jack continues, “You know… I am serious. Let me know Doctor, because I’m here if you need backup. If you need <em> me </em>. You don’t have to face him again alone.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he friends agree one at a time, and she looks at them all in surprise. </p><p>“We’re all here,” Graham tells her, and Yaz reaches out and tentatively, hesitantly (she can’t blame her, really, what with how she’s been forcing them away recently) touches a hand to her arm. </p><p>“We’re gonna be by your side,” she tells her, and Ryan nods in agreement. </p><p>“We’ve got your back.”</p><p>--</p><p>Her three travelling companions wander off to their respective bedrooms on board eventually, after the conversation had taken a much lighter turn, as they and Jack had shared their respective adventures with each other. Her laughter had been forced at first, when Jack had explained in great detail how he’d snuck into a royal party and ended up accidentally engaged to the prince of a race of frog-like amphibious aliens, but eventually she found herself relaxing around her friends, and when Ryan cracked a joke that made them all collapse in tears of laughter she felt lighter than she had in a long time. </p><p>“Your new friends seem nice.” Jack says when he returns from the bar he’d apparently found aboard, drink in one hand and bottle in the other. </p><p>“They are,” she smiles.</p><p>He sets them both on the console and turns to face her. </p><p>“So why are you shutting them out of your life?”</p><p>The Doctor blinks, taken aback at the bluntness of his words. “I’m - I’m not.”</p><p>“Come on Doctor,” he says, “Half of what you told us was obviously new information to them. They barely even knew who the Master <em> was </em>. They don’t know anything about your past. And you won’t tell them what message he left you. I won’t pry, but just for the record, I don’t think you’re doing yourself any favours by closing yourself off like this. You’ve got more friends travelling with you than ever but -”</p><p>“I feel more alone than I ever have,” she finishes his sentence quietly, the admission making Jack falter. </p><p>“You don’t have to be,” he says softly after a moment as she fiddles with a lever, looking down sadly. </p><p>“It’s better this way,” she says. “I’m trying to keep them <em> safe </em>. I’m trying to -” She cuts off, not knowing how to finish. </p><p>“Keep yourself safe?” He prompts gently. “It can’t hurt as much when you lose them if you were never that close to them in the first place right?”<br/>
She snaps her gaze up to his, eyes wide. </p><p>He gives a quiet, bitter laugh, topping his glass up from the bottle. “Yeah. Don’t forget you’re talking to another immortal.”</p><p>“I’m not immortal,” the Doctor mumbles, looking down again. </p><p>“You may as well be,” he snorts. “And for the record, not letting them close is one thing, but shutting them out of major things in your life is… only gonna hurt you even more. Maybe if you talked to them about - about whatever’s going on. Something to do with your home, from what I gather. Maybe you’d feel less alone - maybe they could even help.”</p><p>He doesn’t ask her to tell him. Doesn’t try to get her to talk about it, doesn’t fire a million questions at her like her friends always seem to do, and maybe that’s why the Doctor’s shoulders slump where she stands by the console, and the words tumble forth. </p><p>“He destroyed it Jack,” she whispers, her voice cracking on his name.</p><p><br/>
“What?”</p><p>“The Master. He destroyed Gallifrey. My home is gone again. My planet burning… we’re the only ones left. He destroyed it and he didn’t even tell me <em> why </em>…”</p><p>She doesn’t realise she’s crumpled to the floor until her knees have hit hard ground, and Jack is kneeling beside her, arm around her shoulders, uttering softly how sorry he is, giving her the comfort she didn’t know she’d so desperately needed. She turns, burning her face in his shoulder, and Jack sits, wrapping his arms around her and pulling them both backwards so he can lean against the console.</p><p>It’s the first time she’s cried since she found out, she realises with some sense of shock, and she thinks maybe it was about time. Time to let go of the anger just for long enough to let herself finally greive. </p><p>She cries, and then she pulls herself out of Jack’s arms and takes the hanky he offers her, wiping her face as she sits up cross legged next to him, and then she tells him about the message, what the Master had said… her confusion about the timeless child and why it stirred something uneasy deep inside her. She tells him what Gallifrey had looked like, how she’d found it burning, how she’s been going back there almost daily, foolishly, stupidly needing to see it to know it wasn’t just some horrifying nightmare. Sitting on red soil all alone on a dead rock, just watching it burn. </p><p>Jack doesn’t say anything. He keeps quiet while she talks and when she’s finished all he offers is three words; “I’m sorry Doctor.”</p><p>It’s not a question, it’s not a scramble for an explanation like she knows her friends - bless them, they only ever want to help - would try to come out with… it’s just an acknowledgement, and the Doctor is surprised to realise that’s just what she’s needed. </p><p>“Drink?” Jack says, and the Doctor manages a smile, and she nods. </p><p>And maybe that too. </p><p>--</p><p>The alcohol dulls her senses and relaxes her just enough to enjoy a couple of hours of catching up with an old friend, both of them on the floor, backs against her console and legs stretched out in front of them as they reminisce. It hurts to talk about some of their shared past, to speak names aloud she hasn’t let herself think about in centuries - but the only memories they share tonight are happy, and the Doctor is grateful for their place in her life. </p><p>“I can’t believe you’ve had two faces in between that one and this one I never even got to see! Guessing I can’t even go back now we’re here.”</p><p>“Nope,” she smiles, taking another swig from the bottle. “I’ll find you some photos.”</p><p>“Please,” he grins. “I can’t imagine they’d be prettier than this one though.”</p><p>She bumps his shoulder with her own. “Flirt.”</p><p>“You make it hard not to Doctor,” he banters back, slipping a hand onto her thigh where it rests against his. “Especially when you regenerate looking like <em> this.” </em></p><p>Instead of pushing him away, she turns towards him, letting her legs curl up as she drops her head onto his shoulder with a heavy sigh, feeling oddly soothed by how little Jack had changed. </p><p>“How do you like being a woman then?” He asks, genuine curiosity in his voice and she shrugs. “It’s not really any different to being a man. Except for the way people react to me.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he agrees, “I imagine that’s true.”</p><p>“I got tried for being a witch in the seventeenth century. Don’t laugh!” She gasps, smaking his shoulder good naturedly when he chortles next to her. “They ducked me in a lake and everything. It was <em> freezing </em>.”</p><p>He’s laughing out loud now, and the Doctor finds herself joining in, chuckling quietly as she digs an elbow in his side for good measure. </p><p>“That’ll teach you to go waving your sonic around everywhere. Loving the new design by the way.”</p><p>“Thanks,” she yanks it out, holding it up proudly, squinting a bit to focus on it through blurry vision. “Built it myself.”</p><p>“Really?”</p><p>“Mhm. Made it out of spoons. And a bit of alien tech.”</p><p>“Interesting shape.” He comments, and she elbows him again. </p><p>“Behave.”</p><p>“Any new settings to go with it?” </p><p>“Jack!”</p><p>“You can’t blame me,” he chuckles, “You never had one this shape when you were a man,” he plucks it out of her hands to hold it up sideways and she snatches it back, cheeks flushed. </p><p>“I’m never gonna be able to look at it the same way again,” she grumbles, shoving it back in her pocket as he laughs. </p><p>“You know that reminds me of something.”</p><p>“Do I want to know?”</p><p>“Oh you definitely, <em> definitely </em> do,” he grins. </p><p>Some time later, when she’s laughed more in the last couple of hours than she has over the last few months, the bottle is nearly empty and the Doctor is settled comfortably in Jacks lap, content to let him snog her leisurely, hands smoothing over her back and nothing but the soothing hum of the Tardis to hear around them. </p><p>“I always knew you’d be a good kisser,” Jack murmurs against her lips when they part for air, and the Doctor moves back a little, arms draped over his shoulders to look down at him. </p><p>“You’ve kissed me before.”</p><p>“Hmm, not quite like <em> that </em> though.”</p><p>“Well aren’t you lucky today then,” she smirks - his flirtatiousness is catching. </p><p>In truth she’s not sure why she’s so receptive to his affections this time - perhaps she’s just been a little touch starved of late, never even letting her closest friends near enough to touch her shoulder let alone hug her like they do each other. </p><p>“Mmph,” he says against her lips when she leans in to kiss him again before pulling her gently back, “As much as I’m enjoying this, if we carry on for much longer it’s gonna be <em> painful </em> to stop.”</p><p>The Doctor lets out a quiet laugh, but clambers off his lap, grateful that he doesn’t expect anything of her. </p><p>“Well,” he finally says after another short while of easy conversation, “I may be immortal but unlike you I do actually still need sleep.”</p><p>“I sleep,” she protests. </p><p>“Mhm. When was the last time?”</p><p>She shifts uncomfortably. </p><p>“That’s what I thought,” he says, getting to his feet, clearly deciding to leave her to it. He hovers. “You could join me if you like? It’s always an open invitation.”<br/>
She smiles fondly. “Goodnight Jack.”</p><p>“Suit yourself,” he waves a hand, swiping the bottle off the console before wandering off like he owns the place to find himself a bedroom. </p><p>She <em> is </em> tired, now she thinks about it, and she really doesn’t remember the last time she had slept. Too scared perhaps of the dreams that will await her should she close her eyes. But the evening had been nice, and the Doctor feels more relaxed than she has in a while - less alone suddenly, and everything feels a lot more faceable knowing she doesn’t need to do so by herself. Her past and future that’s coming at her. She lets her head drop back against the console with a sigh, letting the pleasant way the alcohol had sent her head swimming gently wash through her, listening to the comforting hum of her ship around her. </p><p>When she wakes the next morning, there’s a pillow beneath her head, and Captain Jack’s coat is draped over her. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HOW WE FEELING AFTER THAT EP? Sorry this was so pointless and really self indulgent and soft, she just needed an old friend okay. Hope some of you enjoyed it anyway!</p><p>Follow me on twitter! @_spoilersweetie 😘</p></blockquote></div></div>
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